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West Cork 10 Year Single Malt
Distiller Score 87
A fragrant mix of caramel and apples on the nose gives way to cereal (think Corn Flakes). The taste has a lot of those same cereal notes, alongside toffee, apple, and chocolate. Being non-chill filtered gives it a more viscous mouth feel, making for an Irish whiskey you feel like you could chew for dessert.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Gibson's Finest 12 Year
Distiller Score 88
Honey and strawberries on the nose. There's also a bit of citrus zest, caramel corn, and it has a waxy astringent character. Lots of rye, bitter orange peel, wood varnish, and caramel come next. Both caramel and strawberry notes assert themselves as it sits. The finish is warm but doesn't stick around very long. A thoroughly pleasing example of a refined, complex, but smooth and familiar tasting Canadian whisky.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Greenore Single Grain 8 Year
Distiller Score 88
The nose is fairly fragrant with sweet corn, but also includes freshly sliced green apples, coconut, and gentle wood spices. The vanilla picks up a bit more on the palate which starts off silky, but finishes on the oily side. There is a nice tangy quality to the dram that has you salivating for another sip.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Old Fitzgerald 12 Year
Distiller Score 88
Soft, sweet corn, rolled oats, buttery cinnamon sugar cookies, vanilla, and toffee dominate the nose with subtle aromas of oak in the background. Big flavors of gooey vanilla toffee, cinnamon toast, and maple syrup stand up front with mild hints of spice, wood, and red delicious apples rounding out the palate. The finish lingers with all the spice and oak that was missing in the first tastes with round and sweet mouth-coating memories of buttery toffee.
Reviewed by Ryan Conklin
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Hirsch Small Batch Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Distiller Score 87
The first whiff carried a lot of alcohol and promises a fiery, and perhaps a rough-around-the-edges bourbon. After that initial assault, caramel corn, honey, oak, vanilla, and spice emerge. The palate boasts a lot of oak and warm spice, and is just a little rough, but in an enjoyable way. Lots of corn, vanilla, and cinnamon are in there as well. The finish is short but pleasant, with a little spicy orange zest joining the chorus.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Breaking & Entering Bourbon
Distiller Score 89
Warm banana nut bread and vanilla caramels dominate the nose with hints of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg rounding out the aromas. One sip will prove that the sweetness in the nose was supremely deceptive as nuttiness and spice pull forward with dominant cinnamon, white pepper, and a touch of menthol. A moderate finish persists with big wood, baking spice and caramel with lingering banana flambé.
Reviewed by Ryan Conklin
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1792 High Rye Bourbon
Distiller Score 85
This whiskey opens like a beautiful apple and pear tart coming out of the oven: brightly fruity and deliciously warm. The baking spices don't disappear on the palate; in fact, candied ginger and orange peels demand your attention immediately. The rye punch you're expecting never happens. Instead, you get a balanced, sweet bourbon.
Reviewed by Nicole Gilbert
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Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel
Distiller Score 93
Not a lot of oak on the nose on this whisky, instead, the bouquet shows butterscotch, flambéed bananas foster, freshly-baked cinnamon rolls, and maple syrup covered flapjacks. The palate starts sweet, think divinity, with walnut and a touch of oak before going into a very soft grain-forward profile. Ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg notes follow behind. The finish is smooth and lingering, with warm gingerbread, black pepper, oak, spearmint and a bit more cooked banana. There is a bit of heat from the alcohol, but it is balanced and provides a good counterpoint to the sweetness of this whisky.
Reviewed by Distiller Staff
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Crown Royal Limited Edition
Distiller Score 85
The nose opens slowly on green apples sprinkled with nutmeg powder and cloves, and displays the dustiness of rye with the sweet vanilla of bourbon. Dry brown hay and dusty grain round it out. The toffee-sweet palate is rich with gingery spices and crisp oakiness on a creamy vanilla custard base. Spicy hot pepper balances a zippy citrus zest. A slight tannic pull precedes a classic grapefruit pith finish.
Reviewed by Davin de Kergommeaux
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Daviess County Kentucky Straight Bourbon French Oak Finish
Distiller Score 91
A well-balanced use of French oak, which can be tricky with a spirit as muscular as bourbon. Right out of the glass is a rush of floral and pastry (think pound cake) notes that are held tightly together by sturdy rye and spice aromas. The palate is lush with nut and pear flavors that closes with a lingering tobacco note. Elegant and fun.
Reviewed by Colin Howard
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Bardstown Bourbon Co. Origin Series Bottled in Bond Bourbon
Distiller Score 92
The nose is rich and enticing, with butterscotch, caramel, and peanut brittle. That nuttiness continues onto the palate, which also offers a surprising of red fruits, including apples, orchard fruits, plums, and grapes. The finish is lengthy, and showcases chocolate syrup, Tootsie Rolls, tannic oak, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Leopold Bros. Maryland-Style Rye
Distiller Score 86
The wood is notably light on the nose which allows the depth of the whiskey to really shine through. Aromas of baking spice, fennel, orange zest, and faint notes of eucalyptus and strawberries follow next. Upfront the flavors on the palate display a youthful spirit that has a nice mouth-feel for its age. Flavors of vanilla, cooked sugars, bright citrus and berries are then followed by Baker’s cocoa, clove, cinnamon, and a peppery and smoky rye spice. The finish rounds out this nuanced style of rye with a lingering vanilla and chocolate-covered berry sweetness that simply won’t let you forget this special dram.
Reviewed by Ryan Conklin